Looking for the Stars
by fanfic authoress
Summary: Vera Emmerson did not expect to be a companion. For one, the Doctor wasn't real! But she was pulled from her world into her favorite show, Doctor who. Now she gets to meet her favorite characters, and it's like a dream come true. But it seems that the Doctor didn't expect this either, and he doesn't know what to make of her... (Starts with the Eleventh Hour) Eleven/OC
1. Prologue

Prologue

" _And my footprints were washed away/ as I left forevermore_." I scribbled the last lines of my poem in my journal before chewing on the pen cap thoughtfully. Did it fit? Poetry was difficult, at the best of times. I let out a sigh as I started to cross out the 'and'. But before I got the chance to cross it out, a gust of wind blew from behind me, knocking my hat off my head.

"Oof!" I exclaimed, running after it, "Not again!" The wind beneath the willow tree was being especially difficult today. Luckily, the hat didn't blow far.

"Stop running away, it's rude," I scolded the inanimate object, as I crammed it back on my head. "Hmph." Heading back to my spot at the base of the willow tree, I noticed the sun getting lower in the sky. Sighing regretfully, I looked back at my notebook.

"So it's that time again," I groaned, "Pity." Gathering up my paper and pen, I glanced down to see that my drawing of the TARDIS had fallen out.

"Oh! It's a good thing I saw that," I said for only the trees to hear. Gathering up the watercolor, I tucked the slip of paper back in my journal. I had finished that particular drawing a few days ago- from my favorite show, Doctor Who. Some people said it was stupid to get so attached to fictional characters, but I couldn't find it in me to care… much.

Standing up, I adjusted the hat on my head before marching along the path towards home. I gazed critically up at the sun, estimating how much time I had left before dark fell. _Not long… Better hurry._ Quickening my pace, I hurried along the dirt path through the woods. It looked like I had less than ten minutes to get through the normally twenty minute walk.

 _Not much time-_ No sooner had I finished the thought, when another gust of wind plucked my hat from my head, carrying it deeper into the woods.

"Not again!" I cried, exasperated. I don't have time for this! Holding tight to my notebook, I rushed into the trees after it. The wind blew it along with a vengeance, intent on not letting me rest a moment. I panted as my feet slapped against the grassy ground. I definitely wasn't used to this much exercise.

"Got it!" I gasped with joy, finally catching hold of my runaway hat. I had a stitch in my side from running, but that ceased to matter when my gaze fell upon the sight before me.

Standing amongst the trees, was a blue box. A fifty's police box to be precise.

 _The TARDIS!_ I froze in place as my mind placed it almost immediately. _No, no, no, no, no- It can't be- it's just a show! The TARDIS doesn't exist!_ And yet there it was. Not as I remembered it from the show, though. It looked old and weathered, dirty from being in the woods. The paint was chipped, the light on top broken. Vines and plants had overtaken it, making it blend into its surroundings. It didn't at all resemble that gleaming blue box I was used to… But it was.

My eyes filled with tears of sorrow- What happened to it? _Oh Doctor… What has become of you?_

Dropping my hat to the ground, I forgot about it as I focused my attention on a beautiful impossibility. That the TARDIS… might be real. But even if it was, why did it look so… dead?

Taking a staggering step, I slowly inched my way towards it, wondering what could be on the inside. _It could just be a police box, or a prank! This may mean nothing._ Perhaps, but let's see first. Brushing aside the plants, I pulled several vines away, freeing it from the forest's hold. Hesitating for a moment, I rested my hand on the wooden door.

It was surprisingly rough, and the paint peeled off where I touched it.

"What's happened to you?" I asked softly. Trailing my fingers down the wood to the handle, I pulled lightly on it- not quite surprised when it opened. Taking another step forward, I stood cautiously inside the doorway. _What happened here…_ It looked dead, without any light coming from the inside. It was dark and silent as a tomb. I could still see the faint outline of the TARDIS's console

My hand flew to my mouth in horror at the sight. Choking back a sob, a lone tear made its way down my cheek. _It's all real, it's all true. Rose, Martha, Donna, Amy, Rory, Clara- all of it! Oh god, what happened to the Doctor? Why is the TARDIS dead?_

Cautiously, I stepped into the vast room and waited. When nothing happened, I took another staggering step towards the console. The fading light from outside lit the inside well enough, but everything was in shadow.

Suddenly, the doors slammed shut, leaving me in complete darkness. Whipping around in terror, I searched blindly for something- anything that would provide some source of light in the endless black.

"Is anyone there?" I whispered, the lone sound echoing in the empty TARDIS. _…Who else is here?_ But there was no one. Abruptly, the sound of the TARDIS taking off filled my ears, and the floor jerked suddenly- making me crash to the ground.

I groaned as I banged my head against what I assumed was the edge of the TARDIS console. Wincing in agony, I carefully raised a hand to the site of the injury, and found something hot and sticky coating my left temple. _Blood._ Dizziness overtook me as I slowly began to lose consciousness. The shaking increased as the TARDIS crashed, and darkness overtook my vision.

And back in the wood, a lone hat lay- lost and forgotten.

 **Thank you to this chapter's beta reader, consultingsorcererof221B. Please R&R!**


	2. The Eleventh Hour Part 1

The Eleventh Hour Part 1

"Erg…" I groaned, wincing as I slowly opened my eyes. _Where was I?_ Blinking rapidly in the afternoon sun, I looked around when my eyes adjusted. I appeared to be lying on a park bench, in the early afternoon. People were milling about, occasionally giving me dirty looks- assuming I was a vagabond. _But how did I get here?_ I rubbed my eyes, hoping to force myself to remember.

 _Come on! What was it!_ I stilled. _The TARDIS…_ But where was it? Whipping my head side to side, I couldn't catch sight of it. My hands flew to myself, patting myself down- looking for damage. My body appeared fine, free from any cuts and bruises. But once I touched my left temple, I felt a bolt of agony race through me. Wincing, I quickly moved my hand away.

 _All fine, save for my head- and I probably have a concussion._ My head felt slightly stuffy, though that may have just been my imagining. I still had my notebook, tucked tightly under my arm. I had somehow managed to keep hold of it while unconscious in the TARDIS. I was still questioning whether I had dreamt it all or not, but it had to be real. How else could I be here?

Just as I asked myself that question, a familiar persona appeared. Two, particular personas to be precise.

"What is that?" A familiar voice exclaimed, heading towards a duck pond that was near me. It was the Doctor.

"It's a duck pond," Amelia Pond answered exasperatedly. My jaw dropped open as I gazed upon two fictional characters come to life. _This can't be real… It just can't! Maybe I'm not even here, maybe I'm just dreaming this- I'm certainly not sitting on a park bench in Leadworth!_ But it was, and I am.

I stood up shakily as they argued about the duck pond. I took a few staggering steps towards them, but neither of them realized.

"Doctor?" I echoed, staring unbelievingly. I couldn't believe that the wonderful, beautiful impossibility who is the Doctor, just might be real…

The man known as the Doctor spun around to face me, a bewildered look on his face.

"Yes! That's me, the Doctor- hello! Ah, who might you be?" His mood switched from argumentative to cheerful like a light switch. He was still wearing the old clothes of the tenth Doctor, albeit ripped and tattered. Raggedy, if you will.

"Oh my god, you're him!" My hand flew to my mouth. _It's him! It's actually him!_ The Time Lord that I thought fictional, was real! "And you're Amy Pond!" The Doctor adopted a confused expression.

"Sorry, have we met?" He asked. I shook my head rapidly.

"No, no, no- I mean I know _of_ you, but I've never actually met you," I stammered hastily. "I love you both- really, I do! Oh god, I can't believe it's really you!" The Doctor raised his eyebrows.

"But how? I mean, this is a brand new face- even I haven't seen it yet! And how do you know Amy?" The Doctor took a questioning step towards me. Back-stepping, I shook my head imperceptibly. "Amy, have you met this woman before?" Behind him, Amy shook her head.

"No, I've never seen her in my life," Amy answered honestly, examining me.

"I-" How was I even going to explain this? Would he even believe that I came from a parallel universe? That was the only explanation that I could think of; the Doctor certainly wasn't real in my universe. Even if he was, he would've been recognized with how many millions of people watch Doctor Who. But that's beside the point! The Doctor would never believe me, even with his vast knowledge. And what would happen to me if he _didn't_ believe me? I don't want to find out… "It's a long story," I finished weakly. The Doctor tilted his head, but accepted my explanation. For now.

"I'll expect to hear it later," he said pointedly, "Also, what is wrong with your head?" He asked. I weakly lifted a hand to my temple.

"I banged it against the floor, accidentally," I half-lied. It was the truth! Just… maybe not the _whole_ truth. With a concerned glint in his eye, he lifted his sonic screwdriver and started to scan me.

"It's the sonic screwdriver!" I exclaimed, before clapping a hand over my mouth. _Good job! He's already suspicious, now he's doubly. Way to go!_ The Doctor looked at me strangely, before looking at the readings.

"You're alright, just a mild concussion," the Doctor told me. He wiped away some blood on my temple with his sleeve, "You'll be alright. We can get you bandage up later."

"Anyway-" The Doctor started, but was forced to stop when a crippling pain rushed through him.

"AHH!" He yelled, falling to the ground. I rushed to him as he grimaced and groaned in pain. _He regenerated too violently…_ Even after all this time, I remembered that specific episode. Even when I thought this was all fake, I had sobbed. Oh, how I had bawled.

"Shh… It's okay," I reassured, though glancing over him worriedly.

"This is too soon," he gasped, clutching at his hearts, "I'm not ready. I'm not _done_ yet." Amy looked confused at his words, but I understood. Abruptly, the sky darkened until it looked like late evening.

"What's happening? Why's it going dark?" Amy demanded, panicked. The Doctor didn't answer, instead sitting on the ground, looking worriedly up at the sky. Suddenly, the sky lightened so we could see the sun- scarlet and fiery in the sky.

"So, what's wrong with the sun?" Amy asked.

"It's a forcefield," I answered before the Doctor could. Unbeknownst to me, he gave me a fugitive look when I answered before him.

"… She's right…" He commented, before turning his attention back to the forcefield. "They've sealed off the upper atmosphere, now they're getting ready to boil the planet." Amy turned to stare at him, aghast. The Doctor hopped up from his spot on the ground, staring straight at me.

"Sorry about that, who did you say you were?" The Doctor inquired.

"Uh, Vera. Vera Emerson," I stuttered. My heart nearly stopped in my chest when he smiled at me.

"Lovely to meet you Vera, I need to save the world." _… Not very modest is he?_ None of this could be real- I had to be dreaming. I looked down, unaware that I'd said the last bit aloud.

"Oh, this isn't a dream, Vera. This is very, very real," the Doctor said seriously.

"Oh- And here they come; the human race!" The Doctor exclaimed exasperatedly as all the humans started to record the sun. "The end comes, as it was always going to, down a _video_ phone." Backing away, Amy started shaking her head with a fearful look in her eye. I stood there as the Doctor calmed her down, until he started hitting himself in the face.

"What are you doing?" I exclaimed. He ignored me.

"I saw it, and I missed it! What did I see? I saw. What did I see?" He rambled. Amy looked confused and worried for the Doctor's mental health; not that I wasn't. I had _seen_ the episode, and I was still freaked out by his antics.

"Twenty minutes," he breathed finally, spinning around to gaze at Amy distractedly, "I can do it. Twenty minutes, and the planet burns. Run to your loved ones and say goodbye; or stay and help me." His gaze flickered to me during his miniature speech. My jaw tightened. _Like I have anywhere to go._ I was taken from my home, by what I _thought_ was a fictional machine- into a world I had no place in being. Brilliant.

Amy stared hardly at him in the eye for a moment.

"No," she said simply. The Doctor looked confused.

"I'm sorry?" He asked, questioning whether he'd misheard.

"No!" Amy yelled, gripping him by his tie. She started to drag him by his tie over to the nearest car door.

"Amy! No, no- what are you doing?" She answered him by slamming his tie in the car door, effectively trapping him. I fought a snicker at the scene.

"Oh, Amelia Pond," I exclaimed happily, "I knew there was a reason I loved you!" Ignoring me, she focused all her attention on the Doctor.

"Are you out of your mind?" The Doctor demanded.

"Who are you?" Amy demanded back. "And who is she! And how are you here?"

"You know who I am, but I can't say for her." He cast me a glance over his shoulder.

"No, really- who are you?" While they argued back and forth, Amy sent the old man who owned the car away.

"Catch." The Doctor tossed something in the air- that I knew to be the apple Amy had given him twelve years ago. Well, for her. For him, it really _was_ five minutes.

"I'm the Doctor," he said softly, "I'm a time traveller. Everything I told you twelve years ago is true. I'm real. What's happening in the sky is real, and if you don't let me go _right now_ , everything you've ever known is over." His voice got desperate towards the end, wanting- no needing- her to free him. Amy shook her head almost imperceptibly.

"I don't believe you," she stated honestly. I forced myself to contain my impatience. _We will burn up in less than twenty minutes unless you LET HIM GO!_ I may know what happens, but I don't know if my presence will ruin anything or not. _It probably will…_ Anyway, even if I get out of this episode, what will I do? The Doctor probably wouldn't let me travel with him, I'm a paradox in motion! I know almost everything there is to know about his story, and I doubt he would be comfortable with that! Though the idea of being his companion was attractive- double meaning intended- I doubt he would be willing.

"Just twenty minutes. Just believe me for twenty minutes." The Doctor reached out and grasped her wrist for reassurance. He stared up into her eyes imploringly. "Look at it! Fresh as the day you gave it to me. And you know it's the same one." In shock, Amy looked up at the Doctor as if seeing him for the first time.

"Just believe for twenty minutes," he begged. Pausing a moment, Amy unlocked the car door with a beep.

"What do we do?" Amy demanded.

"Stop that nurse." Amy nodded and then started to rush in the direction he was pointing- towards Rory. I began to run after her before he gripped my arm.

"Wait," he said busily, grabbing his tie. He used it as a make-shift bandage for my head, suppressing the bleeding.

"Thank you," I said gratefully. Smiling slightly, the Doctor let go of me and we rushed after Rory. The Doctor rushed past both of us and swiped the camera phone out of Rory's hand.

"The sun's going out, and you're photographing a man and his dog. Why?" The Doctor questioned impatiently.

"Amy?" Rory questioned, confused. He was still wearing his nurse uniform and scrubs.

"Hi!" Amy answered, slightly out of breath.

"Rory!" I exclaimed. Rory looked confusedly to me and then back to Amy.

"Who is this?" He questioned awkwardly.

"Ah, well- ah, I don't really know actually," Amy forced out.

"Ah, right," I said, slightly guiltily as I scratched the back of my neck, "I'm Vera, nice to meet you!" I stuck out a hand and he took it.

"Great!" The Doctor exclaimed sarcastically, "Are we all done with pleasantries?"

"Doctor, this is my… friend," Amy introduced quickly.

"Boyfriend," Rory corrected.

"Kind of boyfriend."

"Amy," Rory warned, glancing at her. The Doctor ignored them once again.

"Man and dog- why?" Rory looked at the Doctor for a moment, realization clicking into place.

"Oh. My. God- it's him."

"Just answer the question!" Amy exclaimed exasperatedly.

"It's him though- the Doctor. The Raggedy Doctor." The person in question looked between Rory and Amy, looking for answers.

"Yeah, he came back!"

"But he was a story!"

"Man and dog- why? Tell me now," the Doctor repeated for the final time, gripping Rory by his shirt. Behind him, I rolled my eyes.

"Doctor," I warned, "Be polite!" Slowly, the Doctor obeyed me by putting Rory down. Once let down, Rory straightened himself before answering.

"Sorry. Because he can't be here- because he's in a hospital, in a coma!" The Doctor, Rory, and I said the last part simultaneously. Whipping around, the Doctor gave me another searching look, before turning back to Rory. Shrinking slightly despite myself, I cleared my throat nervously. _This is going swimmingly!_

While the Doctor went on another ramble that only he could understand, I nervously eyed the approaching Prisoner Zero. The world-wide alert could still be heard in the air from cell phones, iPods, radios- anything that could play sound.

"Guys…" I warned as the man/dog being moved closer.

"Guys!" This time they paid attention, just in time to see the man snarling, revealing needle like fangs. Straightening, the Doctor walked next to me to face him.

"Prisoner Zero," he announced, his hands in his pockets. Behind us, Amy and Rory were discussing the existence of Prisoner Zero too. The man curled his lips in a snarl, as a gigantic spaceship with an eyeball in the center zoomed in the sky. The blue eyeball scanned the ground, presumably looking for the prisoner.

"See," the Doctor started casually, getting out his sonic screwdriver. My eyes widened at the sight of the familiar tool. "That ship up there is scanning this area for non-terrestrial technology. And nothing says non-terrestrial like a sonic screwdriver!" With a huge grin on his face, he lifted his arm in the air and activated the sonic. All around us, everything went to hell.

"Doctor!" I exclaimed, shocked, "What did you do?" Cars started going off, lights burst, people started screaming- it was mayhem everywhere. The beam from the space ship drew closer to where we were.

"I think someone's going to notice, don't you?" The Doctor asked cheekily. Prisoner Zero snarled.

"Doctor…" I warned, "That's enough, you need to stop now." He didn't listen. Soon after my warning, his sonic screwdriver exploded in a shower of sparks, and it fell to the ground- dead.

"No, no, no- don't do that!" The Doctor exclaimed. I shook my head.

"You should have listened to me," I sighed. He turned around to give me a half glare. Soon after it exploded, the spaceship disappeared.

"No, come back- Prisoner Zero is here!" The spaceship didn't hear his cries, and left- much to the relief of the other citizens.

"Doctor!" Amy exclaimed, "The drain! He just sort of melted and went down the drain."

"Well of course it did," the Doctor scoffed, as if it should be obvious.

"Don't be rude, Doctor," I stared at him pointedly. He did have the decency to look slightly abashed.

"What do we do now?" Amy demanded, panicking. Rory was in a sort of daze, staring at the drain.

"It's hiding in human form, we just need to drive it out in the open."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" I inquired dryly.

"No screwdriver, no TARDIS, only seventeen minutes left- think, THINK!" The Doctor clutched his head.

"So that thing- _that_ hid in my house for twelve years?" Amy demanded.

"Multi-forms can live for millennia- twelve years is just a pit stop."

"So how come you show up again, on the very same day that lot do, the same minute?" Amy questioned, turning to him for answers. The Doctor sighed, as if tired of having to explain everything when they had a time limit.

"They're looking for him, but they followed me. They saw me through the crack, got a fix. They're only late because I am," the Doctor said rapidly. Amy blinked multiple times, processing the information.

"And who's she!" Amy exclaimed, gesturing towards me.

"I _am_ here, you know," I said, annoying at being talked about like I wasn't in the room. The Doctor turned to look at me shrewdly.

"I don't know…" He said slowly, starting to circle me. "Who're you, then? Have you met me before- time travel! Quite a tricky business." I shook my head.

"No," I said softly, "I've never met you, and you've never met me." The Doctor continued to examine me, scrutinizing my face.

"Positive?" He asked after a moment.

"Positive," I affirmed, "I'm just a twenty-year old girl from America." _Even though I may not be that normal…_

"But how did you get here?" The Doctor questioned. I opened my mouth several times, and kept shutting it.

"I- I…" The Doctor looked at me strangely when I didn't have an answer. What was I suppose to say; we certainly didn't have time to be discussing my dilemma now! Turning back to Rory, the Doctor made an order.

"Nurse boy, give me your phone," the Doctor ordered. Rory ignored him, panicking mentally.

"How can he be real? He was never real!" Rory exclaimed.

"Phone, now, give me," the Doctor repeated. Rory reluctantly handed it over, continuing on his rant.

"It was just a game, we were kids- you made me dress up as him!"

"Rory!" I exclaimed, catching his attention, "He's a time traveller who travels in time and space, who just _happened_ to meet Amy. He's real- just accept it already!" _He's just wasting time, we need to get a move on!_ Rory stared at me with a shocked expression on his face.

"These photos, they are all the coma patients?" The Doctor inquired, scrolling through the photos on the camera phone.

"Yeah," Rory answered, still bemused.

"No," the Doctor corrected, "They're all the multi-form. Eight comas- eight disguises for Prisoner Zero."

"He had a dog, though, how can there be a dog in a coma?" Amy asked.

"There isn't; if the coma patient is dreaming that he has a dog; boom, Prisoner Zero gets a dog," I answered swiftly, looking anxiously at the clock tower. _We're running out of time…_ Ironic that the Doctor's a Time lord, and that's the one thing we don't have.

The Doctor's head shot up, staring straight at me, but not seeing.

He gazed at me critically for several moments, wondering who I _really_ was. Snapping the phone shut, his eyes brightened with realization.

"Laptop!" He exclaimed.

"Your friend, what was his name? Not him," the Doctor said urgently, turning to Rory, "The good-looking one." I groaned at the Doctor's ignorance.

"Thanks," Rory said, offended.

"Jeff," Amy answered hastily.

"Oh, thanks!" Rory exclaimed, turning around in irritation.

"He had a laptop in his bag, a laptop. Big bag, big laptop! I need Jeff's laptop!" The Doctor put his arms around Rory and Amy. "You two, get to the hospital, get everyone out of that ward. Clear the whole floor, phone me when you're done," he instructed. Immediately after, he rushed off towards Jeff's house, pulling me along by my wrist.

"Ow, Doctor!" I exclaimed, his grip was tight.

"Oh, sorry!" The Doctor apologized quickly, loosening his grip. I huffed at him.

"It's alright," I reassured. "You really need to be more polite though! I know your regeneration cycle isn't done yet, but really- this is inexcusable!" I slapped a hand over my mouth as he whirled around to face me.

"What? What was that?" The Doctor inquired, stopping in his tracks to examine my face. I started stammering, my eyes wide.

"I- I…" The Doctor took a step towards me.

"Why do you know so much?" He asked, eyeing me up and down. "You just don't make sense," He said slowly. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Closing it, I cleared my throat and tried again.

"Doctor," I said seriously, taking his hands in mine, "I need you to trust me until you can fix all of this. Afterwards, I _swear_ that I will tell you everything. But you need to focus on this right now; but I promise once this is all over, I will answer every question you ask me." The Doctor continued looking into my bi-colored eyes- blue and green- searching for something. Whatever it was, he found it because he released my hands.

"Fine," he assented, "But once this is all over, you tell me everything."

"Alright," I agreed, suppressing the urge to sigh with relief. Looking me over once more, the Doctor turned around and started sprinting towards Jeff's house with me in tow.

Rushing through the gateway, the Doctor didn't bother to knock, before rushing in the house and into Jeff's room.

"Hello! Laptop, give me," the Doctor demanded. Jeff's eyes widened, panicking.

"No, no, no, no. Wait!" Jeff exclaimed as the Doctor tried to take his laptop away from him.

"Uh, Doctor- you may want to listen to him!" I exclaimed, crossing my arms across my chest. _We all know what teenage boys do, when they're alone in their room with their laptops!_

"It's fine," the Doctor said dismissively, still trying to steal the laptop.

"Hang on!" Jeff exclaimed desperately.

"Give it here," the Doctor commanded. Jeff obeyed- although rather reluctantly- and the Doctor opened up the laptop.

"Blimey!" The Doctor shouted, as I rolled my eyes at him. _Is he always this stupid? What did you think he was doing!_ "Get a girlfriend, Jeff!" Jeff's eyes flickered over to me.

"Hello," he greeted awkwardly. Raising my eyebrows slightly, I looked at him.

"Hello," I answered with a two-fingered salute.

"Not now, you two!" The Doctor exclaimed, "I'm trying to save the world!" Right then, Jeff's grandmother walked in and I could almost hear the Doctor inwardly groaning.

"Gran," Jeff greeted uncomfortably. _Great job, Jeff- when your grandmother's home, too!_

"What are you doing?" She asked the Doctor.

"The sun's gone wibbly, so right now- somewhere out there- there's going to be a big old video conference call. All the experts in the world panicking at once, and what do you know they need?" The Doctor turned to look at me with a huge grin. "Me. Ah! And here they all are. All the big boys." He proceeded to list off a long list of agencies, all attending the call.

"You can't just hack in on a call like that," Jeff protested, confused beyond help.

"Can't I?" The Doctor asked. And we all knew the answer to that- nothing could stop the Doctor. As he asked the question, the very same thing happened.

The air filled with the noise of half a dozen people all asking who the Doctor was. He soon shushed them by giving them loads of information, that probably wouldn't be around for at least another century. _Oh, Doctor…_ A few minutes later, he was writing a computer virus down on Rory's phone.

"What are you doing?" One voice called out, questioning.

"I am writing a computer virus. Very clever, super-fast, and a _tiny_ bit alive- but don't let on. And why am I writing it on a phone? Never mind, you'll find out." The Doctor gave one of his classic grins. When he hunched down again, I leaned over his shoulder to look at what he was doing.

"Okay, I'm sending this to all your computers," the Doctor announced, "Get everyone who works for you sending this everywhere. E-mail, text, Facebook, Bebo, Twitter, radar dish- whatever you've got. Any questions?" The Doctor asked, looking up at the screen.

"Who is your lady friend behind you?" Patrick Moore asked, causing me to arch an eyebrow.

"Patrick!" The Doctor exclaimed, glancing behind him to look at me, "Behave!" I fought a snicker that ultimately won.

"You're a little old for me, Patrick," I chuckled, "But I appreciate the sentiment."

"What does this virus do?" Another man asked online.

"It's a reset command, that's all," the Doctor answered briskly, still messing around with the phone. "It resets counters. It gets in the Wifi and resets every counter it can find. Clocks, calendars- anything with a chip will default at zero at exactly the same time." The men and women on the call didn't look convinced, having suspicious expressions on their faces.

"But, yeah- I could be lying," The Doctor said, as if he could sense their distrust, "Why should you trust me?" They all waited impatiently for a reason. The Doctor paused dramatically for just a _little_ too long. "I'll let my best man explain." They sat in confused silence until I nudged Jeff.

"He means you," I whispered urgently to him.

"Me?" He exclaimed in question. Exhaling sharply through his nose, the Doctor tilted the computer screen so it couldn't see us, before taking Jeff by his shoulders and giving him a pep talk.

"Listen to me. In ten minutes you're going to be a legend. In ten minutes, everyone on that screen is going to be offering any job you want. But first, you have to be magnificent," the Doctor said urgently, "You have to make them trust you and get them working. This is it Jeff- right here, right now. This is when you fly. Today's the day you save the world." In that moment, it was when it finally hit me- I was _actually_ in Doctor Who. _This_ was the Doctor, the man who encouraged millions to be better people- the one who helped people find themselves. I had to bite my tongue to hold back a squeal. _I'm actually here!_

Jeff held his silence for a moment, confusion evident on his face.

"Why me?" He asked. A half-smile curved the Doctor's lips.

"It's your bedroom," he said simply, "Now go, go, go!" With that last word, he rushed out of the room.

"Sorry about him, he's on meds!" I lied hastily to the conference, before rushing back after him.

"Doctor!" I yelled after him, catching up just as he exited the yard.

"Yes?" He inquired, spinning wildly to face me.

"What now?"

"Ah, yes- that. We're going to the hospital!" Grabbing my hand, the Doctor dragged me along. I nearly tripped over my feet, but I caught myself in time. As we were getting nearer the hospital, the Doctor's phone started ringing. It was Amy.

"Hello there, Amelia Pond!" The Doctor greeted. He fell silent while she asked something.

"Look in the mirror!" He answered, out of breath from running. I looked at him worriedly, it couldn't be good for him to running so soon after regenerating.

"Doctor," I said cautiously, my breath coming out in short pants, "Are you sure you should be running right now?"

"Yes, of course- I'll be fine," the Doctor reassured. _Rule one, the Doctor lies…_ I rolled my eyes at his stubbornness, before concentrating on running. "In here!" He ordered, hopping in a firetruck. I obeyed, hopping in the passenger side. Without wasting a second, the Doctor started to drive quickly towards the hospital.

"Did we steal a firetruck!" I yelled at him.

"Yes!" Holding the phone back up to his ear, he answered it. "Don't worry, we just commandeered a vehicle." Putting the phone back down, the Doctor pressed a button to cause the sirens to go off.

"Ugh!" I groaned, pressing my hands over my ears, "Could that be any more irritating!"

"Oh hush up, Vera- you'll be fine. You're just being childish." The Doctor rolled his eyes at my 'childishness'.

"You're one to talk!" I retorted, "You're like a time travelling four-year-old!" He ignored me when the phone started to ring again.

"Are you in?" He asked Amy. She said something that made the Doctor's expression harden.

"You need to get out of there," he said urgently. When he didn't get any response, he said, "Amy? Amy, what's happening?" His eyes searched endlessly on the road. "Amy, talk to me!" There was a moment of silence, and I knew that Amy and Rory were in the coma ward- trapped by Prisoner Zero. I may not have watched this episode for a while, but I still knew what was going to happen.

"Which window are you?" My heart rose in my throat as I knew what he was going to do. "Which window?" He got a manic grin on his face once he got the answer.

"Oh god, oh god- JESUS CHRIST!" I yelled as he purposefully drove toward the hospital, breaking the window with the fire ladder. Swinging himself out of the truck, he held out his hand for me to take.

"Come on, we haven't got all day," the Doctor reprimanded. Glaring at him, I took his hand and he hoisted me up to the roof of the truck.

"Ladies first," the Doctor said, gesturing towards the ladder leading up to Amy and Rory. I sent him a disbelieving stare.

"Like hell, I am wearing a dress!" That much was true, though that wasn't the only reason. "Eyes front, soldier." A light pink tinted his cheeks.

"Oh, whatever!" The Doctor started climbing the ladder, and I giggled.

"But mine aren't!…" I teased, staring up at him.

"Stop it!" He reprimanded, and I was almost positive he was blushing. Once we reached the top, we climbed in the window. The Doctor crouched down along with Amy and Rory, throwing his arms around them.

"Right, hello! Am I late? No," the Doctor rambled, hopping up to stand, "Three minutes to go. So still time." I hopped ungracefully out the window, my foot catching on the edge.

"Doctor!" I yelled, about to crash into the floor. With hardly a thought, he caught me and freed me from the window.

"Don't do that, not good," he said, pointing a finger at me.

"Time for what, Time lord?" Prisoner Zero asked out of a woman's body. Turning around to face… it? The Doctor's eyes lost their playful look.

"Take the disguise off," he requested softly. _Like soft disguised steel…_ "They'll find you in a heartbeat. Nobody dies."

"The Atraxi will kill me this time. If I am to die, let there be fire." She sounded so… so _happy_ that there would be bloodshed. I shook my head in revulsion. The Doctor chuckled.

"Okay! You came to this world by opening a crack in space and time. Do it again. Just leave." Behind him, I closed my eyes. _It didn't open the crack, Doctor…_

"I did not open the crack," Prisoner Zero answered simply.

"Somebody did," the Doctor replied swiftly, his tone slowly becoming less cheerful.

"The cracks in the skin of the universe, don't you know where they came from?" When the Doctor didn't answer, Prisoner Zero adopted a smirk on her borrowed face. "You don't, do you?" Mocking him, Prisoner Zero used the child's voice. "The Doctor in the TARDIS doesn't know. Doesn't know, doesn't know!"

I winced at their voices. Nothing could be more irritating than a child's whining voice. And nothing more creepy than it coming out of the mouth of a middle-aged woman.

"The universe is cracked," it said, this time in the woman's voice, "The Pandorica will open. Silence will fall." Amy and Rory looked concernedly at each other as my eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"The silence…" I breathed, and the Doctor heard me. Swiveling to gaze at me fleetingly, his eyes returned to the clock on the wall. A clicking noise filled the air.

"And we're off! Look at that," the Doctor grinned, pointing at the clock on the wall. It only showed zeroes.

"Yeah, I know- just a clock, whatever. But do you know what's happening right now?" The Doctor questioned as Prisoner Zero turned to stare with dead eyes back at the Doctor. "In one little bedroom, my team are working. Jeff and the world. And do you know what they're doing? They're spreading the word all over the world, quantum fast." The Doctor grinned in triumph.

"The word is out! And do you know what the word is?" He asked rhetorically, "The word is 'zero'." _Checkmate._ "Now, me, if I was up in the sky in a battleship, monitoring all Earth communications, I'd probably take that as a hint. And if I had a whole battle fleet surrounding the planet, I'd be able to track a simple old computer virus to its source in, what, under a minute?" The Doctor grinned with triumph in his eyes, pulling out Rory's camera phone. "The source, by the way, is right here." Prisoner Zero's eyes were cold, and it was breathing heavily. As soon as he finished his sentence, white light from outside filled the room.

"Oh my god!" Rory exclaimed.

"And they just found it!" I laughed, throwing my head back. Amy and Rory both moved over to the window.

"The Atraxi are limited," Prisoner Zero said stiffly, "While I am in this form, they'll still be unable to detect me. They've tracked a phone, not me."

"Yeah, but this is the good bit. I mean, this my favourite bit- do you know what this phone is full of?" The Doctor asked. A smile lit my cheeks as Prisoner Zero stiffened. "Pictures of you. Every form you've learned to take, right here. Oh, and being uploaded about _now_. Final score: no TARDIS, no screwdriver, two minutes to spare. Who the man?" He exclaimed, doing a fist pump.

"No, no, no- don't do that," I said, shaking my head repeatedly.

"You're right- never going to say that again," the Doctor said regretfully.

"Good job, Doctor," I congratulated, "But there's still one thing left…" He turned around to face me.

"And what's that?" He questioned, his smile dimming. I gestured towards Prisoner Zero, urging him to turn around. Slowly, he obeyed.

"Then I shall take a new form," Prisoner Zero said simply.

"Oh, stop it- you know you can't," the Doctor said dismissively, "Takes months to form that kind of psychic link."

"And I've had years." A bitter, cruel smile twisted the woman's lips before she started to glow.

"Amy!" I said, panicking. I caught her as she fell, resting her head in my lap. Rory crouched near her, taking her pulse.

"You've got a hold on. Amy!" The Doctor called desperately, "Don't sleep! You've got to stay awake, please!"

"Doctor, look up," I said quietly, my eyes stuck to what was in front of me. The Doctor looked up, only to see a perfect clone of himself- right down to the torn shirt and the dirty, converse sneakers.

"Well, that's rubbish. Who's that supposed to be?" The Doctor balked. I slapped a hand on my forehead, groaning to myself. _He still hasn't seen himself, has he?_ Bit busy, I suppose.

"It's you, Doctor," I explained, rolling my eyes.

"Me? Is that what I look like?" He asked, turning to me.

"Slightly less brooding, and add a dash of mania- and basically, yeah. That's you now," I answered honestly.

"Why me though, you're linked with her. Why are you copying me?" I coughed behind him.

"Doctor," I said impatiently, "She's not!" Just as I said that, seven-year-old Amelia Pond stepped out from behind her Raggedy Doctor.

"Poor Amy Pond. Still such a child inside. Dreaming of the magic Doctor she knows will return to save her." The Doctor looked lost, staring down at the little girl. "What a disappointment you've been." The Doctor looked regretful for a moment, sorry that he'd abandoned little Amelia Pond twelve years ago.

"No, she's dreaming about me because she can hear me," the Doctor announced, the lost look fading like the sun. He rushed around to bend down by Amy, sitting next to me.

"Amy, don't just hear me, listen. Remember the room, the room in your house you couldn't see?" He placed his hands on her cold, unfeeling face. "Remember you went inside? I tried to stop you, but you did."

"You went inside the room, Amy- remember?" I continued, picking up where he'd left off. "And there was something in the corner of your eye… What was it?" The Doctor risked a quick glance at me.

"No, no, no!" Prisoner Zero screamed as it started to glow, turning back into the hideous snake creature that it actually was. The Doctor stood up, leaving me to take care of Amy.

"Well done, Prisoner Zero. A perfect impersonation of yourself." It started to writhe in the sudden white light that filled the room.

A loud booming voice filled the air, " _ **Prisoner Zero has been located. Prisoner Zero is restrained.**_ " Before it disappeared, Prisoner Zero hissed one last thing.

"Silence, Doctor. Silence will fall." A blank expression made its way onto the Doctor's face as I stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. Lowering his head for a moment, he gently placed his hand over mine. Wind rushed through the room, as the Doctor suddenly sprinted towards the window.

"It's gone," I breathed. _Though not for long…_

"The sun, it's back to normal, right?" Rory asked.

"Yes," I chirped cheerfully, "Everything's fine now- well, all things relative." As Amy opened her eyes, Rory bent down over her.

"Amy. Are you okay? Are you with us?" Rory questioned concernedly.

"What happened?" Amy asked groggily.

"Tell you later," I reassured her.

"He did it. The Doctor did it," Rory said, ignoring my previous sentence.

"No, I didn't," the Doctor said, typing away at the borrowed phone.

"What are you doing?" Rory demanded.

"Tracking the signal back," the Doctor said impatiently.

"Doctor!" I reprimanded. "Rude!"

"Sorry. By the way, I'm sorry in advance," the Doctor apologized.

"About what?" Rory asked, exasperated.

"The bill." Rory started to say something, but the Doctor started speaking loudly into the phone. "Oi! I didn't say you could go! Article fifty-seven of the Shadow Proclamation. This is a fully established, level-five planet, and you were going to burn it? What? Did you think no-one was watching?" Looking up at the ceiling, the Doctor's voice got a dangerous tone. "You lot, back here, now!" Closing the phone with a click, he tossed it carelessly over his shoulder to Rory.

"Okay," the Doctor declared, "Now I've done it." He started to walk away, and a grin grew on my face from what I knew he was about to do. I quickly followed after him, leaving Rory asking questions on the floor.

"Oh, Doctor," I sighed as he dramatically threw open a door, "Always so dramatic, no matter what incarnation."

"Where are you going?" Amy demanded exasperatedly, huffing as she tried to keep up with the Doctor's longer strides. She was having an easier time than me, she was at _least_ three inches taller than me. That girl was all legs, I swear it. Which wasn't fair, seeing as how I was technically a year older. Well, right now, that is.

"The roof!" The Doctor called over his shoulder. "No, hang on." He swung quickly into a room that kept all the patients' clothing.

"What are we doing in here?" Amy asked.

"I'm saving the world, I need a decent shirt! To hell with the raggedy. Time to put on a show!" The Doctor declared loudly.

"Go for the bow tie!" I called out, giving a suggestion with a grin of my own.

"Maybe I will!" He rummaged through everyone's possessions, taking and choosing what he liked.

"You just summoned aliens back to Earth," Rory exclaimed, "Actual aliens, deadly aliens, aliens of death- and now you're taking your clothes off."

"Uhh, Amy- he's taking his clothes off," Rory stuttered.

"Turn your back if it embarrasses you."

"Are you stealing clothes now?" Rory demanded.

"He did just save the world, I think he has the right to a decent outfit!" I retorted. After another moment of the Doctor undressing, Rory turned his back to him. Amy and I, however, didn't.

"Are you not going to turn your back?" Rory questioned quietly.

"Nope," Amy and I said simultaneously. "Like hell," I added, before turning to Amy. "But you really should."

"Oi! Why should I, and not you?" Amy demanded, her accent coming in thickly.

"Because I'm not engaged!" I retorted. Amy looked confused.

"Well," she said slowly, "Neither do I!" I shook my head.

"Sorry, forget that. I meant boyfriend!" With a huff, Amy finally turned around. I- however- didn't. _Like I'm to waste a view like that._

After he finished getting mostly dressed- by mostly, I mean he still had four ties hanging around his neck- he stalked up to the roof. Banging the doors open, they revealed the gigantic spaceship from earlier with a blue eye in the center.

"So this was a good idea, was it? They were leaving." Amy asked, sounding a little panicked.

"Leaving is good," the Doctor answered, "Never coming back is better." Leaving behind Amy, Rory, and I, the Doctor strode up to the big spaceship.

"Come on, then!" He hollered up at it, "The Doctor will see you now." Without further adieu, the blue eyeball zoomed to meet us.

"That's bigger than I thought it'd be," I murmured. It was gigantic- fitting of a gigantic spaceship, I guess. A blue light shone out from the iris, scanning the Doctor who was standing confidently right in front of it.

" _ **You are not of this world**_ ," the eyeball boomed. The sound seemed to come from somewhere inside it.

"No, but I've put a lot of work into it," the Doctor answered. His tone was deceptively soft. Going through his ties, the Doctor started muttering to himself. "Hmm… I don't know- what do you think?" He asked the blue eyeball.

"Is this world important?" The blue eyeball boomed.

"Important?" The Doctor echoed, sounding almost offended. "What's that mean, 'Important'?" He tossed a tie behind him to Rory. "Six billion people live here. Is that important? Here's a better question. Is this world a threat to the Atraxi?" He threw another, hideously patterned tie behind him to Amy.

"Well, come on. You're monitoring the whole planet. Is this world a threat?" The Doctor sounded deadly serious on the last phrase. In response, the eyeball summoned up a globe of blue light- flashing scenes from all over history. My view was filled with scenes from wars, Hitler, the Pope, slavery, and many others.

" _ **No**_." It boomed, the sound echoing between buildings.

"Are the people of this planet guilty of any crime by the laws of the Atraxi?" The eyeball once again scanned records of earth, before repeating its earlier answer.

"Okay. One more, just one," the Doctor said, a hint of hardness disguised as playfulness entering his voice, "Is this world protected." Now there were scenes showing Cybermen, daleks, the Ood, Sontarans, and so many others. All of which had been- or will be- defeated by the Doctor.

"Because you're not the first lot to have come here," the Doctor continued, "Oh, there have been so many! And what you've got to ask yourself is, 'What happened to them?'." Deadly calm entered his voice. I gulped. He truly was frightening right now- the enemy of all monsters. After all, this was a part of the Doctor. Because what else could frighten the things that go bump in the night?

The Doctor turned around as the blue sphere showed all eleven incarnations of the Doctor. Stepping through it, he made it disappear just as it turned to ten's likeness. Facing away from me and Amy, he said, "Hello. I'm the Doctor." His outfit was complete- tweed jacket and bowtie and all.

"I'm glad you took my advice on the bowtie," I commented. He answered me with a half-grin before turning back around to the spaceship.

"Basically…" His voice lost all sense of playfulness, "Run." And run they did. The spaceship flew away until it was just a speck in the sky. I stared at the Doctor, awestruck. Amy laughed with relief, now that the aliens were gone. And as she laughed, I heard the TARDIS whooshing. The Doctor flinched, as if burned, and he took the glowing TARDIS key out of his pocket.

"Is that it?" Amy asked, still staring up at the sky, "Is that them gone for good?" The Doctor's face filled with joy as he started to run towards the stairs.

"Sorry, gotta go!" He called, "Visit soon!" As he passed me by, he took my wrist and we started to run. We ran far, far away.

 **Thank you to this chapter's beta reader, LoverOfArchangels. Please R &R!**


	3. The Eleventh Hour Part 2

The Eleventh Hour Part 2

"Oh my god, it's the TARDIS!" I exclaimed, rushing up to touch the box. The Doctor looked at me with a confused expression.

"Well, yeah- but how did you know that?" The Doctor questioned.

"Long story- I'll explain everything in a bit," I reassured. The Doctor nodded, stepping into the TARDIS. I huffed when he pushed the doors open.

"You know she doesn't like it when you do that," I said grouchily, standing outside the TARDIS.

"She doesn't like what?" The Doctor asked. I sighed at him.

"The sign _clearly_ states that you pull the doors open, not push. And what have you been doing for seven hundred years? Pushing," I huffed. The Doctor got a disgruntled look on his face.

"It's my ship!" He said childishly, "I can do whatever I like!" I rolled my eyes at him, just before he stepped into the TARDIS.

"What have you got for me this time?" The Doctor called excitedly from inside the TARDIS.

"Oh you beautiful thing!" The Doctor called, whooping in happiness. Cautiously, I stepped inside, gazing around in wonder.

"This is amazing," I breathed. Filled with awe, I laughed.

"It's real!" I exclaimed, examining the high ceiling. "It's all real!" I was _in_ the TARDIS! I spun around in joy, tossing my head back. The Doctor gave me a strange look, but I didn't care. "Thank you so much!" Without thinking, I pulled the Doctor into a hug. I must have held on for too long, because he chuckled when I finally let go.

"Sorry," I apologized, flushing, "I'm just really excited!" The Doctor grinned, tweaking my nose.

"I know," he answered with good-nature. Whipping around to face the console, he pulled a few levers and the TARDIS started taking off. "Just a quick run to the moon to sort things out- then we can pick up Amy!" He exclaimed.

"You shouldn't have done that," I scolded the Doctor as we took off. "You left Amy without saying goodbye. Again." The Doctor rolled his eyes impatiently.

"That's beside the point, I'll see her soon." I blinked at him in half amazement and half disbelief. After pulling a lever with a bang, the Doctor spun around to face me.

"Here we are…" The Doctor announced, pulling out some bandages. "I'm sorry I couldn't bandage you up better earlier- bit busy." I laughed humorlessly as he tugged his torn tie off of my head. I took it from him, fingering the silky material. _Oh Doctor…_

"I know," I said dryly, "I was there." The Doctor chuckled as he sat me down and patched me up.

"Heterochromia Iridium," he announced out of the blue. I looked at him, startled.

"Sorry?" I questioned bemusedly.

"It's what your eyes are," the Doctor explained. I tilted my head back at his instruction, so he could disinfect it. "Two different colors- blue and green. It's very rare, only about six out of a thousand- and even then, most of the time it's almost unnoticeable. You're quite unique to have two, completely different eyes." My eyebrows shot up, surprised.

"I never realized that it was that rare," I said. "I mean, I've never met anyone else with different colored eyes, but I always thought there would be others." The Doctor made a slight sound of acceptance.

"There we go," he exclaimed as he finished. Gingerly, I touched the side of my head. The Doctor had stuck a white patch on my head to surprise the minimal blood that was still coming through. Glancing down at the tie, I could feel the familiar weight of sadness wash over me. Now that I knew that the Doctor was real, his ending was made just that much sadder.

He must have seen my regretful expression, because he lifted my chin up with two fingers.

"I think it's time you told me a story, yes?" He asked quietly. Looking into his eyes that were somewhere between grey and green, I nodded.

"Okay," I said, defeated. _Please believe me…_ With a weight in my stomach, I started my story.

"Do you want the short version or the long version?" I asked, licking my lips to wet them.

"Start with short, and we can go from there," he answered cryptically, leaning against the TARDIS control console.

"Well, to make a very, very confusing story short, I'm from another universe where you're… just a television show." Whatever answer I had expected, was not what I got. At my answer, the Doctor started laughing.

"What?" He sputtered, laughing. My face heated up.

"It's true!" I exclaimed, getting red from irritation. The Doctor continued chuckling, until his laughter died down awkwardly.

"Wait, you're not joking?" The Doctor questioned, gazing at me like I was a monkey that just learned to talk. _Well, he could understand any living creature- but that was beside the point._ I shook my head and pursed my lips together.

"No, not really!" The Doctor looked slightly uneasy.

"Go on, then," the Doctor encouraged, gesturing towards me.

"You're in a popular show called Doctor Who, published by BBC. It's all about your life and your friends," I said in a rush, trying to get it all out. The Doctor stiffened at my words.

"So," he said slowly, "You basically know everything there is to know about me?" Swallowing, I jerked my head noncommittally.

"I don't know everything," I admitted, "The show left a lot out- like, we don't know your true name." The Doctor relaxed a bit at that, but stood up straight when a thought struck him.

"How much of my past do you know?" He asked, an eerie tone entered his voice. I tensed at the question, and didn't answer. "How much?" His tone left no room for denial. I sighed in defeat.

"I've seen everything about your ninth, tenth, and eleventh incarnations," I sighed. I purposefully left out that I had seen part of twelve, I didn't want to tell him _too_ much about his future.

"But why haven't you seen my earlier ones?" The Doctor asked confusedly.

"Doctor Who has been going on since 1963, but there was an almost twenty year hiatus in between your eighth and ninth incarnation," I said knowledgeably, "I've only seen the new series that started in 2005." The Doctor looked satisfied with my explanation, though there still a hint of uncertainty in his gaze.

"But that shouldn't be possible- I mean, parallel universes, different world- literally- but there shouldn't be any copies of Time lords or anything about them. Time lords are universal, that shouldn't be able to happen!" The Doctor exclaimed, pacing. Turning to me, he stalked towards me with a deadly serious look on his face.

"Who are you, Vera, really?" The Doctor asked, tilting his head to look at me.

"I'm just a girl from America!" I defended.

"Are you just?" The Doctor questioned, straightening, before turning around and starting to walk away.

"You don't believe me, do you?" I asked, my heart plummeting. The Doctor turned to face me, giving me an incredulous look.

"Would you believe you, if you were in my place?" He asked honestly. My gaze lowered as I considered it. _No…_ Wait.

"Wait!" I blurted out as an idea struck me. I took out my notebook that I had kept safely in my jacket. My hands shaking, I took out my watercolor of the TARDIS. "Here!" I shoved it into his hands. After examining it, he looked up at me.

"This doesn't prove anything," he said, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. I looked up at him desperately.

"Please!" I pleaded, "You know I'm letting the truth, why would I make something like this up?" His greyish green eyes stared down into my own. "How else would I know all about you- about Rose?" He stiffened at the familiar name, the wound still raw. He may be a different man now, but his memories stayed the same.

"Don't," he growled, "Say that name." My gaze softened as my eyes filled with unshed tears. _Oh Doctor…_ Digging around in my notebook once again, I pulled out another drawing I had tucked away in there.

"Here," I said softly, placing the watercolor face-down in his hand. Hesitantly, he looked me in the eye for a moment before turning it over. I could see his eyes widen- half out of surprise, and half out of sadness. It was one of my better drawings- of Rose when she was smiling. She was surrounded by the light of a thousand galaxies, and there was a spark of happiness in her eyes. Her blond hair looked like it was being blown by an invisible wind, tossed uncaringly over her shoulder.

The Doctor's hands began to tremble slightly as he looked at the slip of paper. Seeing it, I placed my hands over his.

"I- I'm sorry," I said regretfully. _Sorry for so many things…_ Eventually, he gathered himself enough to look me in the eye.

"Alright," he said softly, almost to the point where I couldn't hear him. "I believe you." Exhaling deeply in relief, I bowed my head. _Thank you._ He seemed reluctant to part with the drawing, so I smiled at him.

"You can keep it," I reassured, "If I can keep this?" I held up his old, torn tie. He had a confused expression on his face.

"Why?" The Doctor asked bemusedly. I smiled gently.

"To remind myself," I said simply. He tilted his head, but eventually accepted it. After a moment, the Doctor turned around and started fiddling with the TARDIS again.

"So quick stop to the moon," the Doctor cheered, "And then we can see Amy!" I coughed behind him, trying to get his attention. I succeeded. "Yes?" He asked, spinning around to see me.

"So, does that mean I can stay?" I asked hesitantly. The Doctor's face broke into a grin.

"Of course!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms wide. "Unless you don't want to," he added as an afterthought. I giggled, it soon turning into full-blown laughter.

"Of course I want to stay!" I exclaimed. When he grinned his usual lopsided grin, I couldn't help myself, and ran up to him and hugged him. I let out a squeal as I did so, beaming with happiness. "Thank you so much!" _I get to be a companion! I get to be a companion!_ And it was a good thing too, because I had nowhere else to go. My spirits dampened at the thought. I had no home left. Pushing the thought aside- which, incidentally, I was quite good at- I didn't want it to spoil my mood.

"Oh, Doctor," I added, letting go of him after a moment, "I am really tired, can I sleep for a few hours before we pick up Amy?" The Doctor smiled at me.

"Of course," he conceded, stepping aside to let me through. "Hallway, left- first door on your right." I beamed at him before hopping up the TARDIS's stairs.

"Thank you Doctor," I said, "And goodnight." With that, I headed down the hallway, following his instructions. Sure enough, the first door on the right had my name on it.

"Woah," I breathed. _That's amazing…_ Creaking open the door, I gazed in wonderment around the room. The TARDIS must have read my mind or something of the sort, because the room was perfectly fitted to me.

The ceiling was very high, although the room itself was a normal size. The walls were painted my favorite color, blue, and it was nature themed. On the walls, there were realistic trees painted- they almost seemed real. My bed was painted to look like it was part of the trees. The ceiling was painted to look like the night sky- or was it paint? The stars seemed to move and shimmer on the high ceiling.

In addition, there was a desk for me to work at, and wood bookshelves covering part of the wall. I sighed in contentment as I set my notebook on the desk. Tossing the Doctor's old tie over the back of the chair, I strode towards the other door.

"So," I started slowly, "Do you have a closet? I really want to go to sleep." Sure enough, when I opened it, there was a gigantic room filled to the brim with clothing. "Woah…" This is amazing! Laughing, I was filled with joy at the mere sight. "I'm in the TARDIS, I'm in the TARDIS," I sang, skipping over to a rack. Going through it, I found a plain, white nightgown easily. Grinning, I spun around and walked back towards the door. Stopping just before I could leave, I turned hesitantly around to the room.

"Thank you," I said politely, before leaving and closing the door behind me. Tossing my brown, khaki jacket onto the floor, I unzipped my dress. Letting the light blue fabric pool around my feet, I stepped out of it and slipped my nightdress on.

Sighing in contentment, I heaved myself into my bed, snuggling down under the covers. _Thank you._ I sent out a silent message to the TARDIS.

 _You're welcome,_ she hummed back in my mind. I froze in surprise, shocked that she even heard me. Sensing my discomfort, she started humming in my mind, lulling me to sleep.

~o0o~

My eyes slowly drifted open as I woke up. My vision hazy, I bolted upright in bed when I didn't recognize the room. _Where am I? How did I get here?_ I relaxed as my memories from the previous day entered my mind. _Oh, right- Doctor, TARDIS, Amy… OH MY GOD I'M A COMPANION!_ Jumping out of bed, I let out a peal of laughter.

I started to leave my room, before remembering where we were going next.

"Right, clothes," I said, turning on my heel to face the wardrobe. Marching in, the entire closet was empty except for one outfit. The TARDIS had apparently already decided what I was going to wear. She'd picked out an outfit of black pants, a blue t-shirt, and my old brown jacket with patches on the elbows. It was rather worn, but I think the TARDIS could sense it was special to me.

"Thank you," I said politely before bounding out of my room, heading towards the control room.

"Good morning!" I exclaimed to the Doctor, as I swung into the control room. He looked up at me in exasperation.

"It's a time machine!" He corrected, exasperated, "There is no concept of _morning_ or evening!" I rolled my eyes at his rant.

"Anyway, what've you been up to?" I questioned. He must've been bored without anyone to show off to.

"Just a quick stop to the moon," he answered vaguely. "Although," he added, "I ran into some Sontarans, and I just _may_ have accidentally invented the demi-boat three centuries early."

"You invented the what?" I questioned, blinking repeatedly.

"The demi-boat," he repeated, "It's basically a miniature spaceship- well space-platform- with full engine turbines… ah, never-mind!" He gave up trying to explain. "Anyway!" The Doctor started loudly, "Time to pick up Amy!" He pulled a few levers on the TARDIS, and the sound of the TARDIS taking off filled the air. I laughed in joy as the floor started trying to buck us off.

"Did you even learn to fly this thing?" I demanded laughingly, holding tight to the bars.

"No!" He called back. We both laughed as the shaking ceased, letting us both stand normally.

"Alright," I said, grinning, "Let's go get Amy!" The Doctor grinned in agreement, opening the doors. My spirits lowered when I remembered how late he was. _My God, you really can't fly that thing, can you?_ Sticking his head out the TARDIS door, he grinned as he caught sight of Amy. Cautiously following after him, I made my way outside and leaned on the TARDIS.

"Oh dear," I breathed to myself.

"Sorry about running off earlier!" The Doctor apologized, slightly out of breath. "Brand new TARDIS, bit exciting. Just had a quick hop to the moon and back to run her in. I also had a little chat with Vera, and she's perfectly okay!"

"It's you," Amy breathed out of amazement, "You came back."

"Course I came back. I always come back. Something wrong with that?" Amy disregarded his previous statement.

"And you kept the clothes," she swallowed. I eyed her warily, knowing that the Doctor came late… _Again_.

"Well, I just saved the world- the whole _planet_ \- for about the millionth time, no charge," the Doctor said, "Yeah, shoot me. I kept the clothes."

"Including the bow-tie," Amy commented, looking at it disdainfully.

"Hey!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's cool," the Doctor retorted, reaching up to adjust it, "Bow-ties are cool."

"Are you from another planet?" Amy asked in disbelief.

"Yes, very," I answered for him. Amy blinked.

"Okay." _Well, that went over well._

"So what do you think?" The Doctor asked, wanting her to say yes.

"Of what?" Amy asked cautiously.

"Other planets. Want to check some out?" The Doctor asked hopefully. Amy looked at him with an even more confused expression.

"What does that mean?" She demanded.

"Well, it means, come with me," he answered.

"Where?"

"Wherever you like." Amy glanced at me.

"Will she be coming?" Amy asked. I snorted.

"Of course I will!" I exclaimed, "Do you think I'd miss something like this?"

"All that stuff that happened…" Amy started. I mentally groaned, knowing where this was going. _Doctor!_ "The hospital, the spaceship, Prisoner Zero…"

"Oh, don't worry. That's just the beginning, there's loads more," the Doctor reassured.

"Yeah, but those things, those amazing things, all that stuff," Amy paused before stepping closer. "That was two years ago!" She said loudly.

"Oh… Oops," the Doctor said guiltily.

"Nice job, Doctor," I said sarcastically.

"Oh, hush it, you," he scolded. Rolling my eyes playfully, I ignored him.

"Wait!" I exclaimed to Amy, "That means you're older than I am now. That's not fair!" Amy looked at me with exasperation.

"Well at least you didn't have to wait fourteen years!" She said loudly.

"So that's… fourteen years since fish custard," the Doctor said. I gagged at the thought. How could he _possibly_ think that combination is good?

"How long has it been for you?" Amy asked. The Doctor shifted uncomfortably.

"About nine hours," he answered eventually. When Amy didn't answer, he enticingly, "Amy Pond, the girl who waited, you've waited long enough." Amy swallowed at the tempting prospect, before gazing up at the TARDIS.

"When I was a kid, you said there was a swimming pool and a library, and the swimming pool was _in_ the library," Amy said, wrinkling her forehead.

"Yeah," the Doctor said casually, "Not sure where it's got to now. It'll turn up. So, coming?"

"No…" But she sounded unsure.

"You wanted to come fourteen years ago," the Doctor said.

"I grew up," Amy breathed, her eyes still wide. _Such a pity- you really don't want to grow up._ The Doctor looked down at her with an amused expression.

"Don't worry," he said with a smirk, "I'll soon fix that." With a click of his fingers, the TARDIS doors opened, revealing the inside control room.

Amy's face was lit by a reddish glow as she stared in wonder at the inside. After a moment, she turned her face to the Doctor in awe. Turning back to the TARDIS, she laughed. The Doctor smiled gently, his eyes bright with happiness. After glancing a few more times to the Doctor and I, Amelia Pond stepped inside the TARDIS. Looking at each other, we followed her into the TARDIS. The doors snapped shut behind me.

The Doctor walked past the in-awe Amy and faced her.

"Well?" He inquired. "Anything you want to say? Any passing remarks?" He glanced at me and I giggled. He seemed annoyed by the fact that I hadn't said the famous quote, 'It's bigger on the inside'. "I've heard them all." Amy stammered, unable to speak. I smiled softly at her.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" I asked, walking up to her. Amy nodded, her throat too tight to speak.

"I'm in my nightie," she said finally.

"Oh, don't worry," the Doctor said, "Plenty of clothes in the wardrobe!" He walked around the center console. "And possibly a swimming pool," he added as an afterthought.

"So," he said, "All of time and space, everything that ever happened or ever will… Where do you want to start?"

"You are so sure that I'm coming," Amy said indignantly, striding up the stairs to the console. I snorted.

"Amy, everyone comes," I answered honestly. She turned to face me.

"Really?" She asked me. I nodded in confirmation. "Why are you so sure?" She questioned the Doctor.

"Because you're the Scottish girl in the English village- and I know how that feels," the Doctor said as he hopped around the console, messing with it.

"Oh, do you?" Amy asked in disbelief.

"All these years, living most of your life, and you've still got that accent. Yeah, you're coming," the Doctor said assuredly.

"What about you?" Amy asked, spinning towards me. "Why are you coming?" I smiled at her gently.

"Amy," I started, "I don't have anywhere else to go." Amy looked at me in confusion.

"What do you mean?" She questioned.

"To make a complicated story short, I'm from a parallel universe where this is all a TV show," I answered casually. "And… I'm not sure how to get back," I added regretfully onto the end. I hadn't really thought of that. What if I could never get back? _Oh God, what about Mum and Dad?_ I forcibly pushed the thought aside, not bearing to think about it any longer. Amy looked at me with sympathy.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," she apologized quietly. I smiled at her gently.

"It's alright," I reassured. After a moment, Amy turned back to the Doctor.

"Can you get me back for tomorrow morning?" Amy asked. _Oh right, the wedding!_ I had forgotten about that…

"It's a time machine," the Doctor said, "I can get you back for five minutes ago. Why, what's tomorrow?"

"Nothing. Nothing. Just- you know- stuff," she answered vaguely. _Amy…_ I sighed mentally. _She just wants to flirt with the Doctor._ Then again, I shouldn't really blame her- don't we all?

"Alright, then. Back in time for stuff," the Doctor said slowly. With a warbling noise, a new sonic screwdriver pushed out from the console.

"Oh! A new one! Lovely," the Doctor exclaimed, testing it out. With a grin, he tossed it in the air and stuffed it inside his jacket. "Thanks, dear!" He said, patting the TARDIS console. I could've sworn I heard a hum inside my head. As Amy looked around in amazement, the Doctor started messing with the console. I stopped her hand just as she went for one of the levers.

"Wouldn't do that," I whispered, "She only likes the Doctor to fly her." Amy gave me a smile and her eyes sparkled as she gazed around the TARDIS. Her smile disappeared as she was overwhelmed by everything.

"Why me?" She asked, "I mean, I get why you chose Vera- she's from a different universe! But why me?"

"Why not?" The Doctor answered with a question.

"No, seriously. You are asking me to run away with you in the middle of the night. It's a fair question. Why me?" Her voice got louder on the last word, as the Doctor continued to only pay half-attention to her.

"I don't know- fun! Do I have to have a reason?" The Doctor asked in exasperation.

"People always have a reason."

"Do I look like people?" The Doctor asked with a grin, looking at her through the center of the TARDIS.

"Yes," she answered honestly. Well, maybe not that honestly. The Doctor's grin faded a little as he looked down at the console.

"Been knocking around on my own for a while," he answered as memories filled his head. "My choice. But I've started talking to myself all the time. It's giving me earache."

"You're lonely," Amy said, seeing past his excuses, "That's it? Just that?"

"Just that," the Doctor confirmed. "Promise." _Rule one, the Doctor lies._ He was curious, as always. But this time he was curious about something very dangerous. The crack. The crack in time and space. The crack that followed little Amelia Pond throughout her life. I gave him a look over Amy's shoulder. He met my gaze briefly, but didn't hold it.

"Okay," Amy accepted after a moment. The Doctor paused to turn off the screen beside him.

"So, are you okay, then?" The Doctor asked her. "Because this place, sometimes it can make people feel a bit… You know…"

"I'm fine. Fine. It's just… There's a whole world in here, just like you said. It's all true. I thought… Well, I started to think that maybe you were just like a madman with a box." Her voice got overwhelmed at the end as she continued to stare around the TARDIS.

"Amy Pond," the Doctor started seriously, "There's something you'd better understand about me, because it's important, and one day your life may depend on it. I am _definitely_ a madman with a box." His face broke into a grin at the end, and Amy's lips quirked up in a smile. The Doctor chuckled at Amy's reaction. Spinning around, he started to fly the TARDIS.

"Goodbye, Leadworth. Hello, everything!" He pulled down a lever, and we all held tightly onto the console. I screamed with laughter, trying not to fly to the ground. I had no wish to re-injure my head. The sound of the TARDIS taking off filled my ears and I laughed. _Hello, all of time and space!_

 **Thank you all so much for all the follows/favorites! Special thanks to this chapter's beta reader, Loverofarchangels.**


	4. The Beast Below Part 1

The Beast Below Part 1

Amy's eyes were wide with awe as she floated outside the TARDIS, the Doctor holding her ankle.

"This is amazing! We're in space, we're actually in space!" She called down to us. The air shell around the TARDIS ensured that she could still breath.

"Amy!" I called up to her, "I want to try." She'd been up there for fifteen minutes. I wanted a turn! (I sounded like a little child, but I didn't really care).

"Alright, calm yourself," she huffed, her Scottish accent making itself known. The Doctor pulled her down carefully by her ankle, and gravity reinforced itself.

"Come on," I giggled, "My turn, my turn!" The Doctor smiled indulgently at me as he let me step outside the forcefield. The gravity wasn't strong here, and I lifted into the air. I laughed, it felt like flying!

"Oh my god!" I exclaimed as the Doctor caught my ankle, ensuring I wouldn't just fly off. "This is the best thing ever!" I could see for millions of light-years. Purple galaxies, scarlet stars- oceans of fire, it seemed like. It was beautiful. I stayed up there for what felt like forever, peaceful, until the Doctor pulled me down again. When he pulled me down again, I stumbled into him.

"Sorry," I apologized, a dazed grin still on my face. I just felt really happy and giddy. This was all real! I got to be the Doctor's companion! The Doctor chuckled at my expression, before righting me.

"That's interesting…" The Doctor commented, looking down at a space-platform below us with hundreds of buildings, it seemed. "Solar flares roast the Earth, and the entire human race packs its bags, and moves out 'till the weather improves. Whole nations…" He rushed around the TARDIS, looking quite like a madman with a box. My eyes widened as Amy accidentally drifted out of the TARDIS. She clung to the side of the box in panic.

"Doctor?" Amy asked. I jumped up, trying to reach her, but I was at least a foot too short.

"Migrating to the stars," he continued, not hearing her.

"Doctor?" Amy repeated with an increased urgency as I continued hopping, hoping to reach her.

"Isn't that amazing?" He asked, ignoring her.

"Doctor!" We both shouted. The Doctor spun around to face Amy, who was panting outside.

"Well, come on. I've found us a spaceship." With that, he pulled her inside the TARDIS. Amy nearly collapsed at the feeling of firm ground under her feet.

"This is the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland, all of it bolted together and floating in the sky," the Doctor continued, pointing at it through a porthole. " _Starship UK_. It's Britain… but metal. That's not just a ship, that's an idea. That's a whole country, living and laughing and shopping. Searching the stars for a new home."

"That's amazing," I commented, "How long has it been there?" The Doctor shrugged.

"About two and a half centuries, give or take." Amy chuckled.

"Can we go out and see?" She demanded excitedly.

"Course we can," the Doctor said with a smile, "but first, there's a thing."

"A thing?" Amy asked suspiciously.

"An important thing. In fact, thing one, we are observers only," the Doctor said importantly. I snorted.

"How well does that work out for you?" I inquired. The Doctor glared at me for a moment before turning back to Amy. I chuckled at his reaction.

"That's the one rule I've always stuck to in all my travels. I never get involved in the affairs of other peoples or planets." By now, my chuckling had increased to full-blown laughter. _He is_ such _a liar._

"Oh, quiet you," he sighed. Straightening myself with one last smile, I managed to stifle my giggles.

"Ooh. That's interesting," the Doctor commented, enraptured with something on the screen. Walking up behind him, I saw a little girl crying on the screen. I blinked slowly, knowing what was going through his head.

"So you're like a wild-life documentary," Amy said obliviously, "'Cause if they see a wounded little cub or something, they can't just save it, they've got to keep filming and let it die." While Amy was still speaking, the Doctor grabbed my hand and left to go find the little girl.

"You really do a fantastic job of staying out of things, don't you?" I asked him rhetorically.

"Oh- shut up!" The Doctor exclaimed back. I answered with a giggle as we neared the little girl. The Doctor ran up to her.

"What's wrong?" He asked her quietly. When she just angrily pushed past him, he turned to motion towards the TARDIS. After a moment, Amy appeared in her nightie. She gazed in awe around the flag-decorated platform.

"I'm in the future," she said obviously, "Like, hundreds of years in the future. I've been dead for centuries." I sighed.

"Sure, go right to the depressing bit, why don't you," I said, rolling my eyes. "Amy, this is amazing! We're on a space-platform, in the _future_ , don't focus on your death!"

"Never mind dead, you lot- look at this place," the Doctor instructed, taking Amy and I by our shoulders. "Isn't it wrong?" He asked.

"What's wrong?" Amy questioned, still in shock from being in the future.

"Come on, use your eyes," the Doctor instructed, "Notice everything. What's wrong with this picture?"

"Is it… the bicycles?" Amy asked, taking a stab in the dark, "Bit unusual on a spaceship, bicycles."

"Says the girl in the nightie," the Doctor added on.

"Oh my God! I'm in my nightie," Amy realized.

"I'm not!" I chirped. Amy whirled around to face me.

"Why aren't you?" Amy asked confusedly, "Weren't you just asleep?" I nodded in affirmation.

"Yes, but I remembered where we were going, so the TARDIS picked out something for me." Now it was the Doctor's turn to look confused.

"The _TARDIS_ picked out an outfit for you?" The Doctor asked in a stupor. I nodded, confused by his reaction.

"Yes…" I answered slowly. _Is that really so weird?_ I hadn't thought so at the time. The Doctor shook his head, his thoughts returning to where they were before.

"Now, come on, look around you. Actually look," the Doctor instructed. "Have you realized yet?" He asked me as Amy looked around, searching for clues.

"Of course," I balked, "I love this episode." He looked vaguely discomforted to be reminded that I knew almost everything about his future and past.

"Life on a giant star-ship, back to basics," the Doctor thought aloud, "Bicycles, washing lines, wind-up street lamps."

"Clockwork," I added, trying to give him a hint. The Doctor nodded absently.

"Yes, yes- but look closer. Secrets and shadows, lives led in fear. Society bent out of shape, on the brink of collapse. A police state." Rushing over a couple sitting at a near-by dining table, the Doctor took a glass of water. "Excuse me?" The Doctor ignored them when they questioned what he was doing, placing the glass on the ground. Watching the still water for a moment, he paused when he looked up.

"Sorry," the Doctor said to the couple, "Checking all the water in this area. There's an escaped fish." The Doctor tapped the side of his nose. Turning his back to the couple, he rushed back to Amy and me.

"An escaped fish?" I demanded, "Is that _really_ the best excuse you can come up with?" The Doctor gave me an affronted look.

"Oi! Could you've come up with a better one?" The Doctor demanded.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, "Like, 'We're making sure there aren't any toxins in the water'!" The Doctor opened his mouth, struggling for a response.

"I suppose that would've worked," he eventually huffed. I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Why did you just do that with the water?" Amy asked, interrupting us.

"Don't know," the Doctor answered, "I think a lot. It's hard to keep track. Now, police state, do you see it yet?"

"Where?" Amy asked, turning her head to look around again.

"There." The Doctor carefully pointed towards the crying little girl. She was now sitting on a bench, silently crying to herself. The Doctor darted forwards, with Amy and I following after him. The Doctor sat on a bench, looking at the girl over interlaced fingers. Amy had a confused expression on her face as she sat down next to me.

"One little girl crying, so?" She asked. The Doctor stirred, looking near Amy, but not meeting either of our eyes.

"Crying silently," he corrected, adjusting himself in his seat, "I mean, children cry 'cause they want attention, 'cause they're hurt or afraid. When they cry silently, it's 'cause they just can't stop. Any parent knows that."

"Are you a parent?" Amy asked curiously. The Doctor looked at her with a wide-eyed expression. Gently, I placed my hand over his. He glanced down at my hand before interlacing our fingers and giving it a squeeze. Ignoring her previous question, he continued, not letting go of my hand. But his silence spoke much more than any words, and Amy got an expression of realization on her face. She looked vaguely discomforted that she had flirted with a man who's had children. And an alien.

"Hundreds of parents walking past this spot and not one of them's asking her what's wrong, which _means_ they already know, and it's something they don't talk about. Secrets," he explained, gesturing with his hands, "They're not helping her, so it's something they're afraid of. Shadows, whatever they're afraid of, it's nowhere to be seen, which _means_ it's everywhere. Police state," he finished. I nervously eyed the mannequin in the booth as it shifted it's head. Shivering, I felt chills go down my spine. Why was it that clockwork and dolls were just so creepy? Sitting up straight, Amy looked around the room, searching for something.

"Where did she go?" Amy asked.

"Deck 207, Apple Sesame block, Dwelling 54A," the Doctor answered promptly, "You're looking for Mandy Tanner." When he caught sight of Amy's confused face, he pulled out a card from his jacket. "Oh. This fell out of her pocket when I accidentally bumped into her." I rolled my eyes at his poor excuse.

"And how many times did you _accidentally_ bump into her?" I asked. The Doctor shifted uncomfortably.

"About six," he finally answered, "But I did get it!" The Doctor handed the card to Amy.

"Ask her about those things, the smiling fellows in the booths. They're everywhere," the Doctor instructed. Amy looked around with an unconvinced look on her face.

"But they're just _things_ ," Amy protested before turning to the Doctor for an explanation.

"They're clean," the Doctor explained vaguely. "Everything else here is all battered and filthy," he elaborated, "Look at this place. But no one's laid a finger on those booths. Not a footprint within two feet of any of them. Look. Ask Mandy, 'Why are people scared of the things in the booths?'." I shivered.

"I can give you a few reasons," I murmured. The Doctor sent me a reproachful look.

"You can't tell us anything!" The Doctor exclaimed. I sighed.

"I know, I know," I reassured.

"No," Amy said, even more confused now, "Hang on. What do I do? I don't know what I'm doing here, and I'm not even dressed!" The Doctor gave Amy a glance.

"It's this or Leadworth. What do you think?" He questioned, turning to face her. I noticed that he still had hold of my hand. "Let's see. What will Amy Pond choose?" Amy's mouth tightened and it looked like she was fighting the urge to say yes. Turning pointedly, she stared straight ahead. The Doctor laughed triumphantly.

"Gotcha!" Amy's mouth twitched into a resemblance of a smile. The Doctor finally let go of my hand to check his watch.

"Meet me back here in half an hour," he instructed.

"What are you going to do?" Amy asked in a playful, low voice.

"What I always do," the Doctor answered in the same tone, "Stay out of trouble." He stood up, slowly, before adding, "Badly." Rushing off, he grabbed my hand and force me to go along with him. I squeaked as he pulled me along.

"Oi!" I exclaimed, hitting him on the back. "There is no need for you to drag me around."

"Sorry," he apologized hastily.

"So is this how it works?" Amy asked from behind us on the bench, ignoring our bickering. "You never interfere in the affairs of other peoples or planets, unless there's children crying?" The Doctor smiled- that sad, sad smile- before responding.

"Yes." A slight smile lifted Amy's lips at his response before she hopped away.

"Alright," I started, "Now what?"

"Now," the Doctor smirked, "Now we have to take a quick tour of the engine room." I grinned back at him.

"Well," I smiled back, "Let's get going." We ran to the engine room, laughing all the while.

"Shh…" The Doctor quieted as we crept down the flight of stairs to what he'd said were the engines. "We have to be quiet in case there's anyone down here." I nodded silently, immediately quieting my giggles. We crept down the stairs, making as little sound as possible. Once we made it to the bottom, the Doctor hopped down and held out his hand to me. Giggling quietly to myself, I hopped down too- but since I was a good foot shorter than him, I started to fall. My eyes widened as the ground neared, but the Doctor caught me swiftly. Well, maybe not swiftly.

"Urg!" He groaned under my weight, "You weigh quite a bit for one so small." Shocked, I reprimanded him by whacking him on the back of his head. "Oi! What was that for?" He demanded. I stared him down, a matter-of-fact expression on my face.

"You just insulted my height and weight in one go, Mister," I scolded, my voice dangerously light, "I would watch yourself." The Doctor looked genuinely afraid of me at that moment. The Doctor backed away as I smirked to myself.

"Right then." The Doctor cleared his throat, before pressing his ear to the wall. After a moment, a grin broke out on his face.

"Can't be," he murmured, scanning the wall with his sonic. An amused smile broke on my face as I watched him. This still had a slightly surreal feeling to it- being with the Doctor. It was… magical. It was enough to distract me from the thoughts of what happened to my world.

After looking at the readings, he turned to look at me with an out of focus expression on his face.

"How is that possible?" He asked me as he lay down on the floor to look at a glass of water on the floor that he most _definitely_ didn't put there.

"You'll find out soon," I answered. The Doctor glanced at me distractedly.

"Could you not do that?" The Doctor grumbled. I raised an eyebrow.

"Do what?" I asked confusedly.

"Act like you know everything!" The Doctor exclaimed, hopping up to his feet. I sighed at him with an amused smile.

"I do know everything," I responded laughingly. The Doctor huffed before turning his attention back to the glass of water.

"The impossible truth in a glass of water," a whispering voice said, "Not many people see it." I turned so quickly I gave myself whiplash. Standing there was a woman dressed in red with a porcelain mask. _Liz 10._

"Good lord!" I exclaimed, keeping my voice hushed on purpose, "Don't scare me like that!" She turned to me.

"My apologies, my dear," she apologized in her whispering tone, "But I had to see you."

"Why?" The Doctor broke in.

"Because you two see it, don't you- Doctor and Vera Emmerson?"

"You know us?" The Doctor asked, starting to circle the red-cloaked woman. I had a bemused expression on my face. _…How does she know me?_ Of course she would know the Doctor, it was hard to keep someone as fantastic as him unknown. But me? Why would she know me?

"Keep your voices down," she commanded. "They're everywhere." The Doctor edged closer to the woman, trying to tell if she was a threat. Quickly, I reached out a hand to grab the Doctor's. He jolted, as if shocked, and turned to look at me. Silently, I just shook my head as if to say, _Not to worry, she's a friend_. It must have worked because the Doctor backed off.

"Tell me what you see in the glass?" The mystery woman asked.

"Who says I see anything?" The Doctor asked defensively.

"Don't waste time," she whispered, "At the marketplace, you placed a glass of water on the floor, looked at it, then came straight here to the engine room. Why?" The Doctor shifted hesitantly, wondering if he could trust her. When he glanced at me again for reassurance, I nodded silently at him.

"She's good," I said simply. The Doctor nodded in response, turning back to Liz 10.

"No engine vibration on deck," the Doctor explained, "Ship this size, engine this big, you'd feel it. The _water_ would move. So, I thought I'd take a look with Vera- who still hasn't fully explained how she _knows everything_." The Doctor turned to look at me with his eyebrows raised at his last words. I sighed at him.

"I gave you the summary," I said wearily. The Doctor kept his eyebrows raised and I sighed at him. "Would it make you feel better if I allowed you to ask me anything you wish?" The Doctor examined me for a moment before nodding.

"Later," he said shortly. His eyes were dark and intense, nothing like the lighthearted greyish green I was used to. Liz 10 was watching us from underneath her mask, clearing her throat.

"Ah, yes-" The Doctor said, turning back to the masked woman, "This ship doesn't make any sense." He turned to the engine box and opened it, revealing disconnected wires. "These power couplings, they're not connected. Look," he ordered.

His eyes had faded back to their normal color as he showed off his immense intellect again.

"Look, they're dummies, see?" He started knocking on the walls, rushing every which way like a hyper four year old. "And behind this wall, nothing. It's hollow. It's almost as if there's…" The words were taken out of his mouth by Liz 10 and I.

"No engine at all," we said simultaneously. Liz 10 looked at me curiously from behind her mask, giving me a sweeping look. The Doctor gave me a quick glance before looking at Liz 10.

"But it's working. This ship is travelling through space. I saw it." His tone sounded baffled as his brow wrinkled.

"The impossible truth, Doctor," Liz 10 whispered in a hushed voice, "We're travelling among the stars in a spaceship that could never fly."

"How?" He demanded, glancing wildly between me and the masked woman.

"I don't know," she answered, quietly, "There's a darkness at the heart of this nation. It threatens every one of us. The whispers echoed in the small chamber and I looked uneasily to the sides.

"Guys, we should leave soon- who knows when something else could come." Liz 10 nodded at me.

"She's right," Liz added, "Help us Doctor, you're our only hope." They met eyes for several moments, and Liz 10 steadily met his gaze. "Your friend is safe," she reassured, her eyes shifting to me. I shifted uncomfortably as I remembered what happened to her in this episode. _Amy! We have to help her!_ "This will take you to her. Now go, quickly!" Liz 10 quickly handed the Doctor a beeping device, before turning on her heel and striding away. I silently admired her. Her queen-ness pervaded all of her, even her stride. She was confident in every action, though I guess she would have to be. You couldn't be a weak ruler, or else no one would listen to you. The Doctor glanced at me quickly before calling after Liz.

"Who are you?" He asked. I found it ironic that he asked that, when _he_ was usually on the receiving end of that question. "How do I find you again?" Liz turned her head to face us once more.

"I am Liz 10. And I will find you." A rumbling went throughout the ship, causing the lights to flicker on and off. The Doctor looked to the ceiling, and when he looked back- she was gone. Staring after her, at a loss, the Doctor looked at me quizzically.

"Who was she?" He asked. With a slight smile, I patted his shoulder.

"Oh… You'll find out," I said mischievously. The Doctor pouted, not liking my answer, but looked down in alarm when the device started beeping.

"Doctor," I said seriously, "We've got to find Amy. _Now_." The Doctor looked at me slowly before following the beeping.

We followed it all the way across the ship, through the underground tunnels and hallways. Surprisingly, the Doctor didn't get us lost, and we rushed with an urgency towards Amy. With each step, my anxiousness increased.

"She'll be okay, she'll be okay," I kept repeating to myself. We needed to get there as quickly as possible. Not just because she would be confused and scared, but because I was worried for her safety. Even though I had seen this episode- and knew that she didn't die- I still worried there was an _off chance_ that things would change because I was here.

She's here!" The Doctor shouted as we reached one of the upper levels. The device started frantically beeping. I rushed after him until we reached a closed door. The Doctor spared a fleeting glance at the little girl sitting outside it. Pulling out his sonic, he opened the door, revealing a tear-streaked Amy inside.

"Amy, are you alright?" I asked frantically, walking into the small room. The screens to the side of her showed Amy frantically talking. She backed away at first, shaking her head rapidly as she shut off the screens behind her.

"Yeah, of course," she lied. Her accent thicker than usual, betraying her emotions. The Doctor stared aghast at her.

"Amy…" He said, still staring at the now black screens that once held her face, "What have you done?" Amy stared unapologetically at him. She didn't regret anything, even though she didn't remember it.

"It's alright Amy," I reassured, taking her hand gently. I would have hugged her, had it not been for the fact that we hadn't known each other for very long. Well, I felt like I've known her forever, but she'd just met me. Kind of like time travel, isn't it?

"No, it's not alright," The Doctor said, pulling out a chair and standing on it. Using his sonic, he scanned what looked like a light fixture.

"Yeah, your basic memory-wipe job. Must have erased about 20 minutes." The Doctor was pointedly avoiding looking at Amy or me. I could almost feel the anger coming off of him. Then again, it was nothing compared to his rage. I shuddered at what that would feel like, directed at me.

"But why would I choose to forget?" Amy asked, bemused.

"Because the truth was too much for you to handle," I answered, speaking up. The Doctor cast me a fugitive look. He was much more subdued than usual, feeling a bit betrayed.

"Everyone does," Mandy answered too. Amy turned to look at the twelve year old girl. She had been so quiet, that it was almost like she was invisible. "Everyone chooses the 'forget' button," Mandy explained in a matter of fact tone. The Doctor got off his chair and walked towards her. When he bent down to her height, his eyes held none of the anger that they had previously.

"Did you?" He asked gently. Mandy looked at him like he was crazy.

"I'm not eligible to vote yet," she balked, "I'm twelve. Any time after you're sixteen, you're allowed to see the film and make your choice." The Doctor's quizzical look slowly faded into understanding. "And then, once every five years," Mandy added as an afterthought.

"Once every five years, everyone chooses to forget what they've learned… Democracy in action." Raising his eyebrows into a playful action, the Doctor stood up and started pacing, rubbing his jaw. Moving to the computers, the Doctor started fiddling with them.

"How do you not know about this?" Mandy voiced, "Are you Scottish, too?" She directed her last question at me.

"Oh, no," I reassured. "I'm way worse than Scottish. I'm American." The Doctor chuckled at my response.

"Ugh- the computers aren't recognizing me. I can't even see the movie. Won't play for me," the Doctor grumbled.

"It played for me," Amy said. The Doctor chuckled, though not happily.

"The difference being, the computer doesn't accept me as _human_ ," the Doctor explained rapidly.

"Why not?" Amy asked confusedly. I looked at her incredulously, as did the Doctor before turning away again. Amy's eyes widened in realization.

"You look human," she commented, keeping her voice calm. I snorted.

"Amy, did you think that chin could _possibly_ belong to a human?" I questioned. The Doctor glared at me.

"Oi! It's you lot that look Time Lord, we came first!" The Doctor exclaimed. I rolled my eyes at him.

"It's true, though," I muttered under my breath.

"So there are other Time Lords, yeah?" Amy questioned, leaning against the computers. I winced at her question. _Oh Amy…_ The Doctor looked down, letting a long silence fill the room while Amy waited for his answer. Edging over to him, I quietly place a hand over his, hoping that my proximity would give him comfort.

"No," he answered shortly, after a long silence. "There were, but there aren't… Just me," he said, looking down to avoid her piercing gaze, "Long story. There was a bad day. Bad stuff happened, and you know what? I'd love to forget it all, every last bit of it, but I don't. Not ever." Throughout the entire time he was speaking, he subconsciously rubbed my hand with his thumb. "'Cause this is what I do every time, every day, every second. Now," he said, turning to the computer, "We need to see that video." I cleared my throat as he continued speaking. "It won't respond to me, obviously, and it won't work for Mandy since she's underage, and it won't work for you since you just saw it. I guess we'll just do this the old fashioned way." Backing away with a slight grin, the Doctor ruled his hands together to generate friction.

"Uh- Doctor?" I questioned, raising my hand in the air. "I'm here too." The Doctor looked questioningly at me. He continued to stare quizzically at me for a moment until a look of realization crossed his face.

"Oh!" He exclaimed before hitting himself in the face, "Stupid me!" I gazed in amusement at him. Putting his hands on my shoulders, the Doctor directed me to the chair and sat me down in it.

" _Welcome to Voting Cubicle 330C_ ," an electronic voice called out, the sound echoing in the room, " _Please leave this installation as you would wish to find it. The United Kingdom recognizes the right to know of all its citizens. A presentation concerning the history of_ Starship UK _will begin shortly. Your identity is being verified on our electoral roll._ " I glanced excitedly at the Doctor. _It's working!_ He looked down at me and grinned.

" _Name: Vera Grace Emmerson_ ," the automated voice continued, " _Age: 1,305, Marital Status…_ " The machine paused while looking for the data. " _Married._ " My jaw dropped open.

"What?" I demanded, hopping up from my chair. _What does it mean 'married'? I'm pretty sure I would know if I got married!_ Well, there was the little fact of being a time traveller, but still, it wasn't possible. I was in another universe for god's sake! The Doctor looked confusedly at me, his brow furrowed. I shot him a frantic glance.

"Doctor," I said as calmly as my voice would allow, "Why did it say married?" The Doctor shook his head helplessly.

"I- I don't know," the Doctor said, gesturing with his palms flat. It was then that computer went black.

"What happened?" I questioned. The Doctor rubbed his jaw and groaned.

"You're in the wrong world, of course it wouldn't work," he muttered, beginning to pace. My brow furrowed even more.

"But how did it know my name and age?" I asked confusedly. As much as I wanted to believe that the marital status was wrong, they did have my full name and how old I was. Well, how old I was if I didn't time travel here. The Doctor shook his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"I don't know," he said tiredly, obviously tired of it. I looked at him cautiously.

"Does that mean that not all of its information… is correct?" I inquired slowly.

"Maybe, yes, no- I don't know!" The Doctor exclaimed, pacing. He seemed unable to give me a straight answer. My jaw tightened at his nonexistent answer. _Why would it know my name, but not my 'marital status'? What if…_ I refused to think of it was correct. And even if it was right… Who did marry?

"Well, only one thing to do!" I brightened, shaking all thoughts of marriage aside. Reaching out a hand, I pressed the 'protest' button. Immediately, the door to the room shut, locking Mandy outside. The clockwork man in the booth's head turned around to reveal a hideous, monster-like face. _Like Jekyll and Hyde…_

As the floor split open down the middle, the Doctor and I hopped to one side and Amy on the other. The Doctor let out a gleeful laugh, looking down to the endless red pit. He quickly turned to me and took my hand in his.

"Say whee!" He exclaimed, laughing as the floor became smaller and smaller. Amy screamed as I turned to grin at him.

"Geronimo!" I exclaimed as we fell. Back up above, the sign flashed to empty.

 **Thanks for this chapter's beta, Loverofarchangels. Please R &R!**


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